Method and system for accurately filling marijuana cigarette cones

ABSTRACT

In a marijuana cone filling machine, accurate and repeatable dispensing of marijuana powder into marijuana cones is achieved by including a sensitive scale to measure the weight of powder dispensed into each of the cones.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of marijuana cigarette manufacturing, also referred to herein as cannabis cigarettes. In particular it relates to marijuana cigarette cone filling stations and methods of filling marijuana cigarette cones.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally marijuana cigarettes, also referred to herein as cannabis cigarettes, comprise a cone-shaped paper housing, also referred to as a cigarette cone or simply as a cone, that is partially filled with ground-up or finely milled parts of a marijuana plant (ground or milled to form a marijuana powder) and then twisted shut at the wide, open end to form a cigarette.

Traditional machinery for filling the cones often make use of a shaker table or vibrator device to help settle the marijuana powder in the cone as it is filled. Nevertheless, the amount of powder in each cone will vary significantly due to varying degrees of settling of the powder. This results in complaints by customers who feel that they haven't received the promised volume of marijuana powder that they've paid for.

The present invention seeks to address this problem, by ensuring a substantially consistent fill.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a marijuana cone filling machine that includes a marijuana powder dispenser, a cone support for at least one marijuana cone, and a scale for measuring the weight of powder delivered to the at least one cone.

The marijuana powder dispenser may include a hopper that is in flow communication with an upper, wide end of a funnel. The hopper may include an auger or a conveyor belt for conveying marijuana powder to an opening in the hopper, which is in flow communication with, the upper, wide end of the funnel. The hopper may also include an agitator, which may comprise a rotatable shaft with prongs, for loosening up the powder so as to help deliver the powder to the auger. The cone support may be mounted on the scale to measure the weight of the powder dispensed into the cone.

The scale may instead measure changes in weight of the hopper or other portions of the machine, as powder flows from the hopper or other portion of the machine into one or more cones. The powder may, for instance be fed, e.g., by means of an auger or by means of a conveyor belt to an interim weighing station, such as a container that is weighed by means of a scale. Once the correct amount of powder by weight has been fed into the container, the pre-measured amount is dispensed into the hopper or directly into the funnel.

Further, according to the invention, there is provided a method of creating uniformly filled marijuana cigarettes, comprising weighing the marijuana dispensed into each cigarette cone.

The marijuana for each cigarette may be weighed prior to dispensing into the cigarette cone.

The marijuana may for instance be fed into the cigarette cone by means of a funnel, wherein a mass-specific amount of marijuana is dispensed into the funnel for each cigarette. The mass-specific amount may be dispensed into the funnel by means of a pivotable, hemispherical weighing cup connected to a weight-measuring scale.

The weighing may instead comprise weighing the marijuana as it is dispensed into each cigarette cone. In this case the cigarette cone may be mounted on a scale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of one embodiment of a marijuana cone filling machine of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows an end view of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a three-dimensional view of part of a marijuana powder dispenser of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a graphical depiction of the marijuana powder dispenser of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows a partially filled cone;

FIG. 6, shows the inside of a hopper forming part of the marijuana powder dispenser of the machine of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional view of another embodiment of a marijuana cone filling machine of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown one embodiment of a marijuana cone filling machine 100 of the present invention. The machine 100 includes a marijuana powder dispenser comprising a hopper 110 and a funnel 120. The hopper 110 and funnel 120 are mounted in flow communication with each other as shown more clearly in FIG. 2.

In one embodiment, the hopper 110 is filled with finely milled or ground-up parts of marijuana plants, e.g. the buds or flower tops of the marijuana plant, that have been ground or milled to a to a fine grind, which will be referred to herein as marijuana powder. In another embodiment, a pre-measured amount of powder, by weight, that is the specific amount required for the cigarette cone to be filled, is dispensed into the hopper 110. The sloped sides 112 of the hopper 110 terminate at a lower slot or opening 114. In practice this lower opening 114 is covered by an auger (also referred to herein as a worm drive), of which only the knurled end-knob 116 is visible in FIG. 3. The knurled end-knob 116 allows the auger to be manually turned. However, in operation the auger is driven by a servo motor, as discussed below.

As shown in the graphic depiction of FIG. 4, the terminating, free end 118 of the auger 130 allows marijuana powder from the hopper (not shown in FIG. 4) to drop out into the funnel 120, which is mounted below the terminating end 118 of the auger 130, and thus in flow communication with the hopper 110. As mentioned above, the auger 130 is driven by a servo motor 140, during operation.

As shown in FIG. 4, a marijuana cigarette housing 150, also referred to as a cone is mounted below the narrow end of the funnel 120 to receive the marijuana powder. The cone 150 is supported in a cylindrical tube 160, mounted on a platform 162.

In embodiments where the weight of the powder is not pre-measured, the weighing may be performed at time of filling the cone 150. In such embodiments, tube 160 is mounted on a scale 170. Thus, as the auger 130 dispenses marijuana powder from its free terminating end 118, the powder flows into the funnel 120, and from there, into the cone 150, where the scale 170 measures the increase in mass of the cone 150 as it is filled, and includes a feedback loop that automatically stops the servo motor 140 and thus any further dispensing of powder once the desired mass of marijuana powder has been dispensed into the cone 150.

In this way an accurate amount of marijuana powder by weight is dispensed into each successive cone.

It will be appreciated that in the present embodiment only one servo motor 140 and hopper with auger 130 is shown, filling only one cone at a time, wherein the cone is held in a cone support, in the form of the cylindrical tube 160. However, in other embodiments one or more of the parts of the cone filling machine can be duplicated to allow filling of multiple cones at the same time.

As mentioned above, in another embodiment, the desired weight of powder for one cone filling is pre-weighed at an interim weighing station, depicted in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a dual filling station. Each station includes a hemispherical cup or housing 700 attached to a scale (not shown) (also referred to herein as a mass-measuring scale or weight-measuring scale). For ease of description only one of these stations is described here. The powder is conveyed via an auger (worm drive) 702 to the housing 700 rather than to a hopper 110 (FIG. 1). The present embodiment has eliminated the hopper, but the housings 700 could also be mounted over separate hoppers mounted over the funnels 120. (For ease of reference, the same numbering has been retained for similar elements of this embodiment). For each of the two stations, the housing or cup 700 in the present embodiment is mounted over a funnel 120, and once the desired weight has been dispensed into the housing 700, a feedback loop sends a signal to stop further supply of powder to the cup 700, and the cup is rotated to deposit the powder into the funnel 120. In the present embodiment the cup 700 is supplied by an auger (worm-gear) that is driven by a servo motor, and which conveys powder from a reservoir (also referred to herein as a supply housing) to the cup 700. The feedback loop sends a signal to stop the servo motor when the desired weight of powder for one cigarette has been dispensed into the cup 700.

In practice the marijuana cone filling machine 100 forms only one part of an assembly line of machines that include closure stations for twisting and closing off the open ends of the cones once they are filled to form marijuana cigarettes; as well as packaging machines for packaging the filled and closed cigarettes.

FIG. 5 shows one example of a partially filled cone 150 prior to twisting the upper wide opening 152 to define a cigarette.

Due to the fine nature of the marijuana powder that is dispensed into the hopper 110, the powder may on occasion clump or have difficulty moving downward due to electrostatic build-up. This is addressed by including an agitator 190 in the hopper 110. In this embodiment, the agitator 190 comprises a shaft with prongs extending outwardly, as shown in FIG. 6, and which is driven by an electric motor to ensure that the powder is moved down to the auger (not shown in FIG. 6).

It will be appreciated that different configurations of the marijuana cone filling machine can be devised without departing from the scope of the invention. By making use of a weight measuring system, in the form of a sensitive scale, an accurate amount of marijuana powder can be ensured each time within very tight limits, as defined by the sensitivity of the scale. Thus, there is no need for a shaker or reliance on filling the cone to a certain fill line in order to attempt a repeatable volume of marijuana powder. In practice a shaker may be included, as well as a compactor, but these serve merely to ensure the requisite compactness of the powder in the cone, not for purposes of ensuring the requisite amount of powder, since consistency in the amount of powder is ensured in the present invention by weighing the amount of powder dispensed into each cone.

In practice, in the first embodiment discussed, the marijuana cone filling machine is simply prepared by placing marijuana powder in the hopper 110, mounting a cone 150 below the funnel 120 and starting the motors to the agitator 180 and auger 130. Once the cone 150 is filled to the pre-defined weight, a signal from the scale stops the servo motor that drives the auger 130 and the cone 150 is ready to be twisted and closed.

In the present embodiment, the cone has to be manually removed and closed, however, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments the support mechanisms (such as the cylindrical tube 160 and platform 162 of the present embodiment can be mounted on a conveyer system that allows the cones, once filled, to be moved onto the next station while the next support mechanism with its empty cone is moved below the funnel 120. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A marijuana cone filling machine comprising a marijuana powder dispenser, a cone support for at least one marijuana cone, and a scale for measuring the weight of marijuana powder delivered to the at least one cone.
 2. A marijuana cone filling machine of claim 1, wherein the dispenser includes a funnel with a wide upper end and narrow lower end for feeding the marijuana powder into the marijuana cone.
 3. A marijuana cone filling machine of claim 2, wherein the scale forms part of a weighing station that includes a housing connected to the scale.
 4. A marijuana cone filling machine of claim 3, wherein the housing is rotatably mounted over the wide upper end of the funnel for dispensing a weighed amount of powder into the funnel.
 5. A marijuana cone filling machine of claim 4, wherein the housing provided with marijuana powder from a marijuana powder supply by means of an auger or conveyor belt.
 6. A marijuana cone filling machine of claim 2, wherein the dispenser further includes a hopper in flow-communication with the wide upper end of the funnel for feeding powder into the funnel.
 7. A marijuana cone filling machine of claim 6, wherein the cone support is mounted on a scale for weighing the amount of powder in the cone.
 8. A method of creating uniformly filled marijuana cigarettes, comprising Weighing the marijuana dispensed into each cigarette cone.
 9. A method of claim 8, wherein the marijuana for each cigarette is weighed prior to dispensing into the cigarette cone.
 10. A method of claim 9, wherein the marijuana is fed into the cigarette cone by means of a funnel, wherein a mass-specific amount of marijuana is dispensed into the funnel for each cigarette.
 11. A method of claim 10, wherein the mass-specific amount is dispensed into the funnel pivotable, hemispherical weighing cup connected to a weight-measuring scale.
 12. A method of claim 8, wherein the weighing comprises weighing the marijuana as it is dispensed into each cigarette cone.
 13. A method of claim 12, wherein the cigarette cone is mounted on a scale. 